Kasay is the No. 1-ranked kicker on Yahoo, and the Bengals' defense has amassed more points than any other owned in my league.

This is how much I've needed them: Kasay, the Saints' kicker, posted 18 points this past week, helping me to a 10-point victory. The Bengals' defense was big for me in Week 8, when it gave me 24 points in a seven-point win.

So how'd I get so fortunate?

By essentially treating those two positions as week-by-week propositions. I paid both positions little heed in the draft and just looked for the best matchups as the season went along. Most of the time, I found perfectly suitable kickers and defenses on waivers, especially in my 10-team league.

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Pete's Fun-O-Meter

Pete hates fantasy sports. Nonetheless, he's playing fantasy football to appease his boss, who's asked him to join a league and write a weekly column about his team. This is how much fun Pete is having this week.

Pete's Fun-O-Meter

Pete hates fantasy sports. Nonetheless, he's playing fantasy football to appease his boss, who's asked him to join a league and write a weekly column about his team. This is how much fun Pete is having this week.

Picking a kicker or defense anywhere near the middle of your draft, he said, "is the biggest mistake you can make."

"It's a complete waste," he said.

Why? Both are readily available on waivers, whereas mid-round picks often should be reserved for more useful players, if not under-the-radar studs.

For instance, running back Fred Jackson (Bills) and receiver Steve Smith (Panthers) were popular mid-round picks this year. Both now are in the top five at their respective positions.

"To me, kicker and defense should be the last two picks," Ronis said. "There's a lot of unpredictability. Especially on defense, I see people really reach. We've seen the Jets, Eagles, Steelers go in rounds six, even or eight, and it's a wasted pick."

Even this late in the season most owners will find plenty of quality defenses and kickers still available.

Ronis, who also hosts a show on the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio each morning from 7-11, suggested the following:

Defense

• Patriots: Though their defense has been downright awful at times, this Monday night they host the Chiefs, who are starting a backup quarterback (Tyler Palko).

• Browns: They host Jacksonville this week -- which, Ronis said, "has the makings of a 9-6 game." That might make Jacksonville a reasonable alternative, too. The Jaguars defense is far from great, but it did post 18 points this past week against another weak opponent in Indianapolis.

Kickers

• Phil Dawson, Browns: Cleveland has trouble getting in the end zone, and Dawson has booted six field goals of 50-plus yards.

• Robbie Gould, Bears: Gould is owned in only 60 percent of Yahoo leagues, even though he's the fourth-ranked kicker. He has kicked eight field goals of more than 40 yards, tied for second most in the NFL.